Thursday, May 28, 2020

Can the Meng Wanzhou extradition case not be expedited a bit?

There has been a really big build-up to yesterday's court case of Huawei exec Meng Wanzhou, with lots of analysis of how China might react depending on the decision, whether there will be economic or political retaliation, etc, etc.
Then, the case was heard in the British Columbia Supreme Court, and Associate Chief Justice Heather Holmes handed down her judgement - against Ms. Meng.
But then they tell us that this is actually only the first case in what will probably be a long series of cases and appeals, probably spanning years! All this court ruling established is that the concept of "double criminality" does apply in this case, and extradition proceedings can in fact proceed against the Chinese executive, who has been under luxurious house arrest in British Columbia since December 2018.
So, it has taken a year-and-a-half to get to what is basically square one in what will be a long and politically-fraught legal process! It does not mean that Ms. Meng will in fact be extradited to the USA, or that there is sufficient evidence to merit extradition. In fact, after a year-and-a-half, we are absolutely nowhere. In the meantime, Canadian citizens are languishing in a far-from-luxurious Chinese jail in a (probably illegal) act of retribution, the country is suffering harsh economic tariffs, and Canadian-Chinese relations are at an all-time low. Just because Donald Trump decided he didn't like Ms. Meng's face and he wanted her arrested...
Of course, once put in this awkward position, Canada has no choice but to follow through the legalities in good faith, notwithstanding the political spin China is putting on the whole affair, publicly accusing Canada of being an accomplice and lackey of the United States when they know perfectly well we are legally bound to go through these motions.
My main point is, though, how can can it take so long to try these cases? Surely, it is in Canada's interests to resolve the issue, one way or another, just as soon as possible. Can a case of this importance not be expedited a bit? Otherwise, we will be in this legal, political and economic snafu for years to come.

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